Just Once
by sundayxmorningx
Summary: Just for one night, she was going to be risky. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her. And it's not like he was helping in any way... Random one-shot. Clare/Eli.


**A/N: I don't own Degrassi… nope, nothing. I just thought of this one-shot randomly. Eli and Clare might be a bit OOC but they are older and there's a slight difference in their past and friendship. Enjoy!**

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Clare stepped outside on to the patio to get some air. She was currently celebrating Alli's 21st birthday at some new club that had just opened. She wasn't much of a party-goer, but there were exceptions. This was one of them – Clare's boyfriend of 2 years, K.C. Guthrie, had been cheating on her with another friend, Jenna Middleton. They kept it a secret for 5 months until K.C. accidentally slipped one day. The relationship ended with her in tears… 2 years had gone to waste.

Alli convinced Clare to go out tonight. At first, she was having fun. She only had a few drinks to get herself to loosen up. But after that had worn off, reality came rushing back. Which was why she was now outside, letting her thoughts get the best of her while the music faded in the background.

"And what's a pretty girl like you doing outside?"

Clare turned around to see Eli Goldsworthy standing there, ready to put his jacket around her. She took it without any protest – it was a bit chilly outside and her current wardrobe was not meant for this weather.

Eli and Clare were borderline acquaintance-friends. They never really spoke to each other and were only in each other's company during parties. The two of them only knew each other through Alli and Drew's brother, Adam. They were Facebook friends and followed each other on Twitter, but it felt more as if they had to due to mutual friends.

"What's going through your head, Edwards?" he asked.

She shrugged, "I just needed some air."

"Mind if I join you?" he took a step next to her, "Adam and Alli would have a field day if anything happened to you."

"I could use the company," she said sincerely.

They remained silent for the next few minutes. Clare was looking at all the city lights - she was always fond of the city. Eli followed suit – he really couldn't see himself living anywhere else. He kept his focus on the hustle and bustle of the streets until he started to focus on the woman in front of him. He always thought Clare Edwards was a smart and beautiful girl. Eli wished they had talked more in the past. They probably would have been better friends by now, rather than currently standing in an awkward silence.

"He cheated on me…" she whispered.

This caused Eli to snap out of his thoughts, "Who? Kelsey?"

Clare chuckled, "K.C. He err, cheated on me… with Jenna."

"Blondie?" he asked.

She couldn't help but laugh further at his reactions.

"Yeah," she replied, "For five months."

"He's an idiot" Eli said simply.

"You never were subtle," Clare smiled.

"Well, he is," he continued, "You can do better, Clare. You deserve better."

She remained silent. K.C. was her first boyfriend. She never dated in high school – classes and extracurricular activities were her focus. When Clare got to college, it was a whole new world - the class schedules, moving into a dorm, meeting new people. That was when she met K.C.

And now, there she was – standing in the night with a somewhat friend. Eli's words seemed to bring some comfort to her.

"Thanks, Eli."

He nodded and kept his hands in his pockets.

Clare stared at him. There was so much she didn't know about him and they had known each other for almost a year.

"Funny how we're just really starting to talk," she mentioned, "I'm sorry that I unloaded that information on you."

"Don't worry about it," he shook his head, "It's not good to bottle things up inside. You need someone to vent to. I'm happy to have helped."

Clare turned to him and smiled. Eli turned his head to face her and smiled back.

"Maybe you and I should hang out…" she suggested.

"Yeah, I don't see why not," he agreed, "Like you said, we've known each other for almost a year yet we've barely spoken. Let's fix that."

They were now facing each other. Clare examined Eli – his dark hair fell perfectly on his face, his green eyes were a contrast to his hair color, his lips formed a smirk. Something about him was definitely… attractive. He looked at her with caring and understanding. She had never felt so self-conscious over a gaze.

Just once, Clare decided to do something a bit bold. It was a spur of the moment decision – she took a step forward and gave Eli a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Her face lingered close to his. Eli noticed she smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. She slowly moved away from him, but briefly made eye contact. He then noticed how her blue eyes portrayed every emotion, how her short hair framed her face, how her lips were too… tempting. He could tell she felt awkward for giving him a kiss so he decided to change that.

Clare didn't make eye contact with him. At the time, she thought it was a good move to give him a kiss on the cheek. Now, she wasn't so sure. If things weren't awkward before, they probably were now. She mentally slapped herself.

"I should… I should probably go back inside," she quietly said.

Eli didn't want her to leave just yet. They were making progress with their newly formed friendship. He took a step towards her. He thought she was going to step back, but she stayed in her spot. He moved her hair away from her face. She held her breath at his touch. He took another step closer and she remained in her spot.

"Stay," his voice was husky.

Clare remained frozen. She should have gone back inside, but something was holding her back. Deep down, she knew she didn't want to go. She was curious to see what was going to happen next. They were standing closer than they should have been.

Slowly, they closed the gap between them. They barely knew each other yet they were drawn to each other. Eli knew the next move would be risky. He started to lean in. If Clare wanted to back out, this was her chance. She noticed his actions and said nothing. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her. She wanted to see if he would pull away at the last minute. She wasn't going to… she was intrigued by him. Clare felt risky – here she was, at a club, about to kiss a somewhat friend. Eli's lips connected with hers. She felt a spark at the contact and immediately closed her eyes. His lips were gentle, tentative.

Eli was surprised. He didn't think Clare was going to go through with the kiss. He was equally surprised at how… right the kiss felt. Her lips were snuggled between his, as if they were molded to fit together. He let go of any further thoughts and immersed himself in the moment. Clare's arms snaked around his neck, as his hands naturally went to her waist. His tongue grazed her bottom lip and she gasped. They quickly pulled away.

"I shouldn't have done that," Clare whispered.

"No, it's ok," Eli assured her, "I shouldn't have initiated it."

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be," he said, "I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it."

Clare bit back a smile and looked down – she enjoyed it too.

"Let's just go back inside and we'll discuss it later," Eli suggested, "We're supposed to be celebrating Alli's birthday after all."

She nodded, "Yeah… yeah, Alli's birthday…"

Clare then turned around and went back inside the club with Eli closely behind.

* * *

Sunlight peaked through the window, causing Clare to groan at the unexpected wake up call. She shifted around trying to avoid the sun's rays, but couldn't avoid it. She moved the covers away from her and got up. An arm instantly trapped her, stopping Clare in her tracks.

"Where are you going?" Eli mumbled, "Don't leave."

She laughed, "I'm just going to move the curtains. The light is in my eyes."

He slowly moved his arm, "Ok… but come back soon."

She got up to block the sun from entering the room. When she was done, she climbed back into the bed. Eli pulled her in and kissed her forehead. Clare smiled at his action and snuggled in closer. She kept her eyes on him.

"Admiring my good looks so early in the morning, Edwards?" Eli commented.

She rolled her eyes, "Still calling me that?"

"I'm sorry, _Goldsworthy_," he emphasized the last word, "What can I do to make it up to you?"

She moved up so they were face to face, "Oh, I can think of something…"

Eli smirked and leaned forward.

Three years later and Clare still couldn't get enough of his kisses.

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A/N: Wow, ok. I did not expect to make it that long. The idea just sort of popped into my mind. It was a fun little thing. I enjoyed it =) I hope ya'll did too. Please review and let me know what you think!


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